The Reign of Baltor
by aquariawinx6
Summary: The Winx Club lost the battle with Baltor. Bloom had to make a deal with Baltor and now she is his queen. This single event tore the Winx Club and specialists apart. Is there any hope for the magic dimension?
1. Chapter 1

**I've had this idea for awhile and since I'm experiencing writers block with my other two stories I decided to spend some time on this story until inspiration strikes again.**

**Have you ever wondered what would have happened if the Winx lost the battle with Baltor at the end of season 3? This is my take on what would have happened. This story will start of being rated T. It might change to M later, but we'll see what happens. The tone of this story will be very somber. Baltor coming to power has changed the Winx Club and Specialists lives significantly so some characters will be OOC.**

**Read and let me know what you think.**

**~Aquariawinx~**

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><p><strong>The Reign of Baltor<strong>

Chapter One

Staring out at the starry night sky, Bloom sighed heavily to herself. In just a few minutes her husband would call to her asking her to come to bed. She cringed at the thought of it. She had thought that in time she would adjust to the marriage. It had been a year now and still she detested him with every fiber of her being.

"Bloom dear…" He called to her from inside the bedroom. This was the nightly routine. She would stay out on the terrace as late as possible hoping that by the time she returned to the room her husband would be fast asleep. Some nights he didn't call for her, he would just let her stand out on the terrace and brood, other nights, like tonight he would call to her telling her to come to bed.

She didn't respond but continued searching the night sky, looking at the many different constellations of stars. She reflected back on the old stories Stella used to tell her. She told her all the constellations told a story. Being the fairy of the sun and moon she was well versed in the old myths regarding the constellations. Bloom had told her the stories she had heard on earth regarding the stars, but Stella said their stories were inaccurate.

There were nights when they would sit out on the lawn at Alfea and study the night sky and Stella would tell her the old myths. Unfortunately, those days were now long gone.

"Bloom," Her husband called to her again, the warm loving tone he had used only a few minutes earlier now gone.

Tearing her eyes away from the sky she turned to face the gold eyed sandy blond man that stood before her. "Yes Baltor?" She said looking up at him.

"Didn't you hear me call you?" He asked through gritted teeth. He'd hardly had much patience for her and her defiance the past couple of weeks.

She saw he was already dressed for bed in loose fitting white cotton pants. His feet and chest were bare. "I was just about to come inside." She lied. She'd hoped that if she didn't answer he would just leave her be.

Rubbing his temple in irritation he simply waved his hand telling her to come inside. Choosing not to argue, Bloom obeyed his order and followed him through the terrace door. Seeing as she was still dressed in the gown she had worn that day, Bloom excused herself to the bathroom where she stripped down and began to draw a bath. By the time she finished up she was sure Baltor would have fallen asleep.

Once the tub was full she climbed in and laid back and tried to relax. _If only we had won the battle ._She thought to herself thinking of the final battle between the Winx Club and Baltor. This was a thought that had crossed her mind hundreds of time over the past year. He had been too strong. She couldn't remember exactly what happened, but only remembered waking up in Baltor's hideout. It was then he had made the deal with her. With his powers he would return Sparks to its former splendor and she would become his queen, and he wouldn't harm her friends or Sky. She didn't see any other choice. So she made the deal, and had regretted it every day since.

Death would have been a better option for all of them, seeing how their lives had turned out since. From the little bit of information she was able to get out of Baltor she knew that he had Tecna and Timmy held hostage. They were working on some sort of project for him. Baltor was careful not to tell her about the details of the project or to discuss with others around her. Flora had been taken by Baltor's head guard, Cáel. Bloom didn't know all of the details on how it happened, and Baltor refused to tell her anything.

She knew Layla and Stella had returned to their home planets and were now trying to protect them against Baltor, who was slowly gaining power. She wasn't sure about what happened with Musa or Riven, but she knew Helia was being held prisoner. Brandon had returned to Eraklyon, but Sky's whereabouts were unknown. He was nowhere to be found. Bloom began to blink back tears. She wanted to believe that where ever Sky was, he was okay, but she was worried. Anything could have happened to him.

She decided she had wallowed enough in her misery and pulled the plug on the bath and wrapped herself in towel before getting out of the bathtub. After slipping on a night gown comprised of lace and silk and dragging a brush through her wet hair, she exited the bathroom surprised to see that Baltor was indeed still awake and by the way he was sitting on the bedspread, she assumed he was waiting for her.

"We need to talk." His expression was grave and his tone serious.

"About what?" She said standing in her place refusing to join him on the bed.

"Come sit with me Bloom." He said patting the spot next to him on the bed.

She stood in her place for a few seconds weighing her options. Then finally after seeing there was no way around it, ignoring his command would only anger him, and she was too tired to fight him tonight. So she joined him on the bed, but still kept a good enough distance from him.

He pulled her close bringing her head to his chest, ignoring her protests. She would hiss and fight but he knew she couldn't over power him. He ran his fingers through her damp hair, and then began to speak again. "We've been married a year now." He said as he continued to run his fingers through her long curly red hair. "It's time we produce an heir."

At those words Bloom pushed Baltor away giving him an incredulous look. "No." She said firmly. Although she had suffered through it countless times, even still the thought of his hands on her made her stomach churn. But to have a child he sired growing in her belly? The thought of it made her sick.

"Nonsense," He said taking her by her wrists and bringing her closer. "What will your people think of you as a queen if you do not produce an heir?" He said cupping her face in his hands.

"You had this in mind all along." Bloom's eyes lit up as she pieced the pieces of the puzzle together. "It wasn't ruling Sparks and having full control of the dragon fire, you wanted an heir!" She said beginning to claw at his hands in an attempt to free herself.

"Now Bloom," Baltor said pulling her arms down to her sides. "Every king must have an heir. It's your duty as queen."

"I told you I won't." She shot back angrily still trying to break the hold Baltor had on her.

"Have you forgotten our deal?"

"I never agreed to have your child."

"You agreed to do as I wish and I promised not to hurt your friends, well at least not without provocation." He said as an afterthought.

Bloom gave up trying to fight him and laid back on the bed. He was right, that had been the deal, but she had never imagined he would have this mind. Looking up in his grey eyes she simply nodded.

Pushing her hair back from her face, Baltor leaned in covering her mouth with his tangling his hands in her curly red hair. Not responding in any way to the kiss Bloom only counted the minutes waiting for the entire ordeal to be over with.

Her thoughts drifted back to Sky. She had no clue where he was, but she hoped where ever he was he had some sort of plan to save her.

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><p><strong>Do you like the premise for the story? Is the tone too gloomy and depressing? Review and let me know what you think!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you everyone for all your reviews so far. For the next few chapters I'll be showing the winx club and specialists and explaining how their lives have been changed since Baltor's rise to power, so there will be some flashbacks.**

**Warning: For all you Baltor fans, it may not end well for him!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Winx Club all rights go to Iginio Straffi.**

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><p>Chapter Two<p>

Musa slowly made her way through the halls of Alfea. She'd just had another one of her nightmares. She had them all the time after the final battle with Baltor, but they seemed to be happening more frequently now.

A whole year had passed and all of Magix was still trying to recover. Baltor had sent a flood that engulfed Cloud Tower, twisters that ravaged Red Fountain's campus, fire that consumed almost all of Alfea, and not to mention the earthquake that nearly destroyed the city of Magix. By the looks of things the schools of Magix didn't think they would be able to open up the following school year. It had been a hard summer rebuilding, but they had gotten the schools up and running again.

Exiting through the main doors, Musa began her routine walk through Alfea's garden.

"I see you couldn't sleep either." Musa looked up to see the friendly red haired witch Mirta peeping through a state-of-the-art telescope.

Musa only shook her head. Musa, Mirta, and Riven were the only ones among their friends that remained in Magix. A part of her felt guilty about not returning to her home planet. After all she was the guardian fairy of Melody, but Alfea needed her more. With Baltor slowly gaining power, the people of the magical dimension were at risk. No place was safe, and the schools of Magix needed all of the help they could get. That was why she had stayed.

And they needed to prepare themselves for the coming war. She grew rigid thinking back on that spring day. Hugging herself as if to ward off a chill, she closed her eyes trying to keep the tears that were welling up in her eyes from escaping. No matter how much time had passed it still hurt to think about that. Although she's had plenty of time to heal, the wounds still bled openly.

_One Year Ago…_

_ She sat in the middle of Alfea's garden, her head buried in her knees. For the past hour she'd been their crying her heart out. It had all come to be too much to bear. It had been hard enough facing the reality of it all. He'd taken Bloom and planned to do only the Great Dragon knew what with her, but none of them had expected his return._

_ The messenger pixie Libby had come to Musa and the others, her eyes wide with terror speaking erratically. They could hardly make out what she was saying, she was speaking so fast. Musa had asked her to slow down and that was when she told her, "Baltor has sent an army."_

_ They were all still battered from the first battle. There was no way they could fight. And what could he possibly want with them? With complete control of the dragon fire, Baltor had the entire magical world at his finger tips. Those among them that weren't too badly injured gathered preparing for a fight. Seeing the boys with their weapons and the girls in their fairy forms Baltor's guard merely told them to drop their weapons, they had not come seeking battle._

_ They said they didn't come for a fight, but they wanted Timmy and Tecna. Baltor had some sort of project in the works and he needed their assistance. Then the man, Cáel, the head of Baltor's guard laid eyes on Flora. He was instantly taken with her, so he took her. Helia of course wasn't giving up Flora without a fight, and after being defeated was taken by the guards as well._

_ Here Musa was helpless, without a clue as to what she should do. So she did the only thing that she could. She cried, hoping that some kind of way the tears would wash away the pain and grief she felt._

_ She'd heard footsteps knowing someone was approaching, but didn't let that stop her from wallowing in her grief. She continued to cry, rocking herself back and forth; waiting for the pain of loss to numb._

_ Then she heard something hit the ground with a soft thud. Looking up she saw Riven standing over her, his face twisted in an unreadable expression. Looking down she saw that he had dropped a sword at her feet._

_ Before she could open her mouth to speak he simply said, "This is your only way out of this mess," he said pointing to the sword. "Magic is next to useless against Baltor. This matter will need to solved without the use of magic."Knowing that Riven was right, Musa only nodded her head showing that she understood._

For the past year Riven had been training Musa, as well as the others from the schools of Magix, together they were the rebellion, the magical universe's only hope. Riven taught them all that he had learned during his four years at Red Fountain. He trained Mirta as well. She had been devastated by Flora's kidnapping. Flora had been the one Mirta was closest with.

"The stars say a new war is beginning." Mirta said breaking the silence between them.

Musa looked up at the clusters of stars in the night sky trying to study them, but Musa had never been very good in astrology or astronomy, and couldn't tell one constellation from the next. They were all specks of light in the sky to her. "So they say all that?" She asked frowning up at the sky.

Mirta only nodded. "I've been studying them for the past month." She began pointing out the different constellations and began explaining what they meant. Then began to explain how the positioning of the planets in the constellation correlated.

They were deep in discussion when Riven found them. Mirta was showing Musa something in a book she held, while she continued to write down notes. "Ahem," he cleared his throat calling for their attention. The two girls looked away from the book Musa held in her hands and over at the red haired specialist.

"Baltor made an attack on Eraklyon." Riven said not bothering to break the news to them lightly. "He cleaned out their vault filled with ancient spells."

After a few moments of silence Musa spoke, "Is Brandon okay?"

Riven nodded. "He said Baltor and his guard showed Eraklyon no mercy. There weren't too many deaths, but a lot of people were injured. Brandon said he got away with a few scrapes, but he's fine."

"When did this happen?" Mirta asked. It wasn't even in the news yet.

"Early this evening," He answered.

"Have they heard from Sky?" Musa asked.

Riven shook his head. "Brandon said if he doesn't hear from him in a few days, he'll go looking for him." Sky had been off the radar for months. They had all tried getting in touch with him, but he simply did not want to be found. Riven figured it was best they left him be. When he wanted to come back and join their ranks, he knew where to go.

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><p>Stella watched from her tower as the golden colored Eraklyon craft landed in the docking area. Looking over at the clock she saw it was two in the morning. He was supposed to have arrived an hour earlier.<p>

Gathering up her skirts she made her way down the long winding staircase, into the foyer, and out the palace doors into the courtyard. She knew she was breaking protocol. She was to have a guard with her at all times. If her parents saw her leaving the palace unprotected, they'd completely lose it. She could already hear them lecturing her. _These procedures were put into place with your safety in mind. You can't wander around unprotected. You're the only heir to the Solarian thrown…_

The list went on and on. But at this moment that didn't matter.

"Brandon," She called to the brown haired specialist as she saw his form coming into view. Picking up her pace she ran to him throwing her arms around his neck as he lifted her off the ground into a tight embrace.

"I missed you." Brandon whispered in her ear.

"I was so worried." Her eyes began to well up with tears. "We heard about the attack on Eraklyon and I didn't hear from you right away…" She said letting the tears fall freely down her face.

"It's okay." He said pulling her closer kissing her on her forehead. They stood that way for a moment, Stella weeping in Brandon's arms and Brandon running his hands up and down her back in an attempt to comfort her. It felt good to hold her that way. He rarely got to see her these days, with all Baltor had been up to. He would come and visit when he could, but those visits were rare.

Finally regaining her composure, Stella broke away from Brandon wiping the tears from her eyes, and then asked, "Any news on Sky?" When Brandon told her he hadn't heard anything she only sighed. She didn't know why she even asked. Of course he hadn't heard from him.

"I'm going to look for him."

"You said you were going to wait a little while longer." She said reminding him of the conversation they'd had only hours earlier.

Originally he wanted to wait. He'd wanted to give Sky more time, but after seeing all of the damage done to his home, he'd changed his made. Eraklyon needed its prince and he needed his best friend. "Things have changed." He said; the look in his eyes distant.

"I'll go with you." Stella said in response. She was tired of being cooped up in the palace. She was used to being a part of the action and she had a score to settle with Baltor.

"Will your parents allow you?" He asked with a raised brow.

Since Baltor's rise to power her mother Luna had moved back into the palace, for fear of her daughter's safety as well as her own. At first she had been glad to have both of her parents under the same roof together. The happiness has since faded.

Radius and Luna seemed to argue more than they did when they were going through the divorce. The two couldn't seem to agree on anything. With Baltor slowly gaining power the two argued over what precautions should be taken, what procedures should be followed, and the number one cause of their arguments, what should be done regarding the safety of their daughter Stella.

"I told them you would be here. They'll be expecting you in the morning." She said starting off towards the palace.

The two of them walked in silence as they entered into the palace and up the stairs into the guest quarters. "You'll be staying here." She said leading him into a big spacious room. "Sorry it's not made up with all the amenities. Your trip being so last minute, the servants weren't given adequate time to prepare for your arrival."

"As long as I have a bed," Brandon said falling down onto the soft mattress. He could sleep for hours, if he had the time to waste.

"I'll see you in the morning." Stella said flicking off the light on her way out. She knew she should retire to her room, but she was just too wired to sleep. Besides sleep was something she rarely got much of these days. She was just too worried about Bloom. She knew she should be just as worried about Flora, Tecna, Timmy, and Helia, seeing as Baltor took them as well, but she worried whether or not Bloom was okay and what Baltor was doing to her, but perhaps she should be just as worried about Flora. Only the Great Dragon knew what Baltor's guard had done with her.

Looking around at her surroundings she saw that her feet had taken her back up to the tower. She crossed the room over to the window and began to look out again at the night sky. She found herself wondering where Sky was and began to pray that wherever he was he was okay.

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><p><strong>Review and let me know what you think.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Timmy sat in front of a state-of-the-art, high-tech computer typing furiously away, his features mashed into a frown. Normally he would have been excited to be using the newest technology, but he had other things on his mind.

"His highness would like to know how the project is going." The head guard, Cáel said entering the room followed by a few other members of the guard.

Timmy cast the former Omega Dimension prisoner a look of annoyance before returning his gaze to the computer screen. "The same as yesterday and the day before," He said not bothering to watch the tone of his voice.

"Timmy," Tecna had been standing in front of the whiteboard going over some complex equation. Her voice shook with worry. Being a prisoner to Baltor had changed Timmy considerably. He was no longer the laid back, cautious one. He may have been a prisoner of Baltor's and he knew there were many cruel punishments Baltor could inflict upon him, but he refused to go down without a fight.

"What he's asking us to do is no easy task. The type of technology we're talking about hasn't even been thoroughly tested."

For a moment Cáel almost took his big meaty fists and plowed them into the ginger's face, but he quickly regained his temper, "But you and the technology fairy are considered scholars in this area, am I correct?"

"Hardly," Timmy said with a frown. "It's as I said before this stuff hasn't been thoroughly tested. We wouldn't want anything to go wrong."

"It's a simple machine. All he has to do is flip the switch."

Timmy let out a hallow laugh. "It can hardly be described as simple." He pointed over to the board where Tecna had written out the long equation. "Mathematics and logic goes into making any type of technology. We haven't even gotten the equation completely figured out."

"You've been at it for a year now surely you have to be close to a break through."

"It took Gregorio five years before he was able to produce the first super computer and Gregorio was a genius."

"Baltor doesn't have five years."

"Well that's just too bad. He'll have to be patient. A discovery isn't going to come overnight.

"Listen up little boy," Cáel said waving a threatening finger. "Baltor wants to see some progress."

Timmy wasn't at all scared, although he probably should have been, after all Cáel was ten times his size and had a mean temper, not to mention he was ruthless and found pleasure on inflicting pain on others, but Timmy didn't care. He wasn't going to cower in fear and bend to Cáel's or Baltor's will. "And I told you it's not that simple!" He said raising his voice a bit. "It's going to take time and patience." Timmy said turning to face him.

Cáel could have beat him senseless, but that would upset Baltor and would be too easy on the boy. There were other ways to get to the boy.

Unsheathing the sword he carried at his waist he brought the sword up to Tecna's throat. "If you want her alive, I think you better start watching your tone with me boy."

"She's the fairy of technology. Baltor needs her. He wouldn't allow you to kill her."

"You better start being careful how you talk to me otherwise you can kiss your girl goodbye." Cáel said still holding the sword to her throat.

Timmy had a few choice words for Cáel at that moment, but kept them to himself. He didn't want to see Tecna hurt. "Fine," He said trying to keep his tone even.

"I think the two of you need a little more time in your cell to think things through." Cáel and the others ushered Timmy and Tecna back to their cell. "I'll be back later." He said before walking away.

"Are you okay?" Timmy asked as he looked Tecna over.

"I'm fine." She answered. "But you need to be careful. He's a former Omega dimension prisoner, who knows what he's capable of!"

"I know." Timmy said nodding his head, showing that he understood. This wasn't the first time he and Tecna had had this conversation. He watched as she sunk into a lone chair that sat against the wall. Timmy hated being trapped in this room. He hated the plain white washed walls, the hard uncomfortable mattresses, and that he was only delivered from the confines of the room to work on Baltor's project.

Timmy heard the familiar scraping noise of a tray of food being scooted through the small opening. They'd delivered lunch a little early today. His stomach began to growl as the aroma of the soup wafted his direction. Baltor made sure that they were well fed and clothed, but it didn't change anything. They were still his captives.

"Helia," Tecna said getting up from where she sat. She made her way to the far corner of the room where Helia sat, his knees pulled into his chest. She hated seeing him that way. He just sat in the corner and barely spoke. He had been beating himself up on the inside ever since Cáel had taken Flora. He was the shell of the man he used to be. His long blue black hair fell sloppily to his shoulders and his Asian features seemed to be permanently stuck in a frown. "You have to eat something." She motioned to the tray at the opposite end of the room.

He continued to sit there in his place as if he hadn't heard a word she'd said with the same distant look in his eyes.

It was at that moment Tecna realized how bad they all needed to get out of there. If they didn't, what would become of Helia?

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><p>After having what Brandon deemed to be the best sleep he'd had in months, he and Stella made their way to the grand dining room. Brandon had been on Solaria a few times, but he'd never been throughout the palace in its entirety. The furthest he'd gone was the ballroom, and even in there he felt small. Looking at the rest of the palace he began to feel even smaller. It shouldn't have been any different than being in the Eraklyon palace, and he'd spent a great deal of town there even while growing up. But while everything in the Eraklyon palace was more modern here in the Solarian palace all the furniture and fixings were antiques. He kept his hands in his pockets afraid that if he touched anything he might break it.<p>

Brandon followed behind Stella as she led him through the palace. She stopped just outside the dining room doors and turned to face him. "I'm warning you now it might get ugly in there."

Brandon started to ask what she meant, but Stella had already disappeared through the door. Stepping over the threshold Brandon found himself in awe. The room was beautiful. Everything seemed to be made of glass. The walls, the curtains, and furniture were all a pure white. In the grand room Brandon began to feel out of place. He tried his best not to gawk, but he couldn't help himself.

"Hello Brandon," King Radius said greeting the young Eraklyon knight. King Radius sat at the head of the table, dressed in his best royal attire, in front of him sat a bowl of fresh fruit. On his right sat a blonde haired woman who was clearly Stella's mother. Stella was the spitting image of her mother, all but her eyes. Stella had inherited her father's hazel eyes, instead of her mother's deep sapphire colored ones. "We're sorry to hear about the attack. Solaria will help in any way possible."

"You should be considering increasing security here on Solaria. Baltor and his guard took down Eraklyon effortlessly, and now all their ancient spells are gone. Rather than sending our men to help clean up Eraklyon we should be making sure the people of Solaria will be safe in the event Baltor attacks here." Queen Luna said as she ran her fingers through her long glossy hair. "But I'm sorry to hear about what happened." She cast Brandon a sympathetic look.

"It's alright." Brandon said with a shrug of his shoulders. "We knew he'd attack at some point."

King Radius hadn't heard a word Brandon had said, he had turned in his seat to face Queen Luna, "We formed an alliance, when our kingdoms chose not to give our allegiance to Baltor." He reminded her. "Eraklyon needs our help. There is an entire city in ruins."

Queen Luna waved her hand in dismissal. "I understand, but what if Solaria is next? We need to prepare."

Brandon was beginning to see what Stella meant. With the way King Radius was drumming his fingers in irritation and the looks Queen Luna was giving King Radius, Brandon was afraid the argument may come to blows. Stella sat on King Radius' left with her hands covering her face in embarrassment. Stella had once said her parents were like water and oil. Brandon thought that fire and kerosene seemed to be a better description

"I don't think we need to worry about that for now." King Radius said with a frown. "Baltor's focus seems to be on finding the missing Prince of Eraklyon." He averted his gaze to Brandon. "Have you heard anything from him?"

"No and Eraklyon has gone too long without its Prince. I'm going to find him and bring him back to Alfea to join the rebellion.

"It's for the best." King Radius said nodding his head in approval.

"I agree," Said Queen Luna. It was about the only thing Luna and Radius had agreed on since Luna had moved back into the palace.

"I'm going too." Stella said standing to her feet and taking her place next to Brandon.

"You most certainly are not!" Queen Luna said slamming her hands down on the table.

"I survived in Shadow Haunt." Stella reminded her mother.

"Had it been up to me you never would have gone." She turned to Radius giving him a pleading look.

King Radius seemed to be mulling the idea over in his head. "I don't see why she can't go."

"Thank you daddy!" Stella shouted in excitement. She gave her father a peck on the cheek then tugged Brandon along after her as she quickly left the room, to pack.

"You can't just let her go!" Queen Luna shouted. She didn't care if the servants or anyone else over heard their argument.

"The rebellion needs Stella." He said shortly.

Queen Luna sighed impatiently. "Solaria _needs_ their Princess." She countered.

"She sits in the palace all day bored out of her mind. She's used to being a part of the action. All of the magical universe needs her."

"She could be killed."

King Radius shook his head. "Brandon will watch out for her. The boy is head over heels in love with her, he'd die before he let anything happen to her."

"She's our only daughter." Queen Luna slumped in her chair, her sapphire eyes welling up with tears."

King Radius placed a hand on Luna's shoulder. "You have to have more faith in our daughter than that. She's brave and strong. I've seen her in action. She's a force not to be reckoned with." He said wiping a single tear from Queen Luna's eye.

Queen Luna gave Radius a warm smile. "She got that from you."

For the first time in what felt like ages King Radius let out a small laugh. "But she got her beauty from you."

"Radius," Luna blushed. "Are you flirting with me?" She cocked her head to the side.

"Maybe I am." He said tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "But maybe we should go see our daughter off safely." He stood up from his seat and held out his hand for Queen Luna to take.

The two made their way out of the room to see that their daughter left safely.

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><p><strong>Thanks everyone for all the reviews so far. I'm glad you all are enjoying the story and I hope you enjoyed this last chapter. I know some of you are probably sitting on the edge of your seats wondering what happened with Flora and Sky. Don't worry that will all be explained in the next chapter.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Warning: If you thought Bloom's situation was terrible. Flora's (in my opinion) is way worse.**

**The characters in this chapter are very OOC, but that should be expected considering how drastically their lives have changed since Baltor came to power right?**

**Thanks everybody for all the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

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><p>Chapter Four<p>

Flora rolled over in bed and gasped as her body seemed to scream in protest. Everything hurt. Sitting up in the bed she pushed back the covers and limped her way across the room to the full length mirror that hung on the wall. She looked at the shadow of a bruise underneath her right eye and frown. There were other bruises and scratches that covered her body.

Looking over at the clock she saw that it was already noon. She had overslept. She only had two hours before he would be home. She moved as fast as her strained ankle would allow and hobbled her way into the bedrooms connecting master bath to hop into the shower. She winced as the water from the shower head came beating down on her body and ran the towel over her sore limbs. She didn't have time to be gentle with her bruises she had very little time.

In less than ten minutes she was showered and clothed in chic designer clothes. He expected her to be dressed only in her best. Sitting down at the vanity Flora began applying heavy amounts of cover up to her face, trying her best to cover all the bruises. He hated seeing them on her, not because seeing them made him feel remorse, no you'd have to be human to feel guilt. He only wanted her to cover the bruises up because they detracted from her beauty. Looking over at the clock on the wall she saw she had just enough time to throw together a nice light lunch.

Cáel kept her cooped in a nice estate. Cáel liked to have only the finest of things; that was of course why he took Flora. The estate was beautiful. It was nicely furnished and the vista was gorgeous. Cáel could have hired a full staff to keep up the home, but he considers himself to be old fashioned. In his eyes it was the woman's job to keep the home. So Flora cooked, clean, and made sure that all of Cáel's needs were met.

_And if she didn't…_

Well that was how she got all these bruises in the first place. She hadn't had dinner on the table soon enough and when he'd asked her what was taking her so long, she gotten short with him. He'd roughed her up a bit, to show her who was in charge. If only she had full access to her powers. She looked down at the silver link bracelet on her wrist. To everyone else it looked like a simple bracelet. A gift from Cáel to his girl, but it was the very thing that kept her imprisoned. The trinket kept her powers in check and she couldn't get it off. Sure she could escape powers or no powers, but if she did she knew Helia would pay for it.

_Helia._

She'd lost count of how many times she found herself thinking about what had become of him. She knew he was being held prisoner along with Tecna and Timmy and she hoped he was being treated well. She hoped he wasn't blaming himself and beating himself up over this entire situation. She didn't blame him. It wasn't his fault. He'd done everything he could.

Flora hadn't even realized she was crying until she felt a single tear rolled down her cheek and fall to the counter where she was preparing the tuna salad for Cáel. "Come on Flora you don't have time for this." She said to herself as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Cáel would be home soon and he'd be expecting his lunch to already be laid out for him.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself Flora went back to putting together the tuna salad. She quickly put together a vegetable platter and mixed together a pitcher of lemonade. Laying it out on the table, she knew it wasn't anything fancy, but it was something. She heard the door _click _shut just as she placed the fine china on the table. Seconds later an unhappy looking Cáel entered the room.

He was tall, probably about six feet, five inches. He had a wide set jaw, pale pasty skin, jet black hair, and his features seemed to be permanently set in a frown. Everything about him looked dangerous, the dark look in his amber colored eyes, right down to his gait. He didn't greet Flora upon entering the room or even cast a look in her direction. He seated himself at the table and began to dig into the meal Flora had set out for him. She was just about to dismiss herself from his presence when he snapped his fingers and pointed for her to sit in the chair to the right of him.

Flora quickly took her seat next him, trying her best to hide her annoyance. He'd snapped at her as if she were some sort of pet, but then again his eyes that was exactly what she was. Something that he'd acquired solely for his entertainment and to take care of him.

"What are you frowning about?" He asked in his deep rough voice.

Flora quickly rectified her facial expression. "Nothing," She said plastering what felt like the fakest smile on her face.

He only grunted in response. He quickly polished off his meal and was now wiping his hands on a napkin. "You're coming with me back to the palace."

"I am?" Cáel rarely allowed Flora to leave the estate. She only left if she was in his company, and that was whenever Baltor had a fancy dinner.

"King Baltor says that the Queens spirits could use some uplifting and he thought the company of an old friend would do her some good."

Flora still wasn't used to referring to Baltor as king, but that's what he was after all. He had married Bloom, and that made him king.

"Oh?" Flora hadn't seen Bloom in weeks. The last time she saw her was at their one year anniversary get together, not that either of them saw it as something worth celebrating.

"Don't think about trying anything." He said waving a threatening finger. She got this speech every time he took her out of the house.

"I wouldn't think of it." She said keeping her eyes low to the ground. Of course she'd thought of it. It had crossed her mind at least a million times. She thought of hundreds of ways to escape, but then she always remembered Helia. Cáel wouldn't show him any mercy. He'd kill him and Flora didn't want that.

"Now go fix your face. You could've done a better job covering up those bruises."

Flora quickly got up from the table and left the room. She supposed she should be glad that she'd at least get to spend some time with Bloom

* * *

><p>Sky sat in front of the old worn television set in an old run down motel in the slums of Magix. Unlike all the rest of Magix, this small pocket of the city hadn't undergone the massive rebuilding after the treacherous quakes Baltor had sent to destroy all of Magix. For the most part the area was desolate. All the people had moved away to other parts of Magix, more protected areas. The realm of Magix was one of the few kingdoms that hadn't given their allegiance to Baltor, and any kingdom that did not ally themselves with Baltor was at risk. Baltor could attack at any time.<p>

Looking at the news Sky saw that an attack had been made on Eraklyon. Seeing how badly ravaged the royal city was Sky should have been upset and maybe even angry. Knowing that there had been some that had died should have saddened him, and hearing that Baltor had actually gotten into the vault and stolen some of the ancient spells should have sent him into a fury.

But it didn't. He felt nothing at all. Sometime in the past year he'd lost the ability to feel any type of emotion, other than grief. He only stayed cooped up in the old run down motel room wallowing in self pity.

At first when Bloom had been taken, he'd had every intention to get her back. That was back when he still had some fight in him. He still had hope then. Now he saw that he was foolish to have hoped. Finding out about Bloom and Baltor's marriage was what broke him, but not at first. He didn't go down without a fight. When he first left Eraklyon, he'd planned to get Bloom back, whether he had the support of his kingdom or not. And it seemed to him he didn't.

He was expected to stand by his kingdom. He was supposed to fight so that his people were safe. But what about Bloom? As her lover was he not supposed make sure that she was safe? Was it not his duty to save her from Baltor? But Sky didn't expect his parents to understand or the other nobles of the royal, not even his father's council of advisors, but he had expected Brandon to understand. But apparently not even he understood.

_Eleven Months Ago…_

_It had been a month since the battle against Baltor. They had lost. Sky thought gloomily to himself. He paced the expanse of his spacious room on Eraklyon. He was back at home now, in the palace. But he didn't feel at home anymore. With Bloom gone everything felt wrong._

_That was why he needed to get her back. He looked down at the picture frame he had been holding in his hand. It was a picture of him and Bloom. He smiled thinking back on the day when they took the picture. It was during the short summer break they had after the defeat of Darkar. He'd taken her on a picnic at the beach. He still could remember the smell of her perfume that day. He missed that about her, there were so many things he missed about her. He was pulled out of his bout of nostalgia when he heard his door creak open._

"_You wanted to see me?" Brandon stood in the doorway. He was dressed in his knights uniform, the seal of Eraklyon gleaming on the pin on his chest. "Are you going somewhere?" He saw that Sky's school trunk was half way packed._

"_I've waited long enough." He said setting the picture frame down on his night stand. "It's been a month. I have to go get Bloom back."_

"_Trying to get her back now won't be easy. Baltor's guard is way to strong." Brandon said thinking of all the escaped Omega Dimension convicts. "It's a suicide mission."_

"_Not if it's more than one of us."_

_Brandon sighed to himself. He knew Sky wasn't going to like what he was about to hear. "Even if it was two of us, you know it still won't be that easy. Besides I can't leave. The rest of the King's guard needs me."_

_Sky frowned. He needed to get Bloom back and he needed for his friend to be there to help him. "They have hundreds of others."He reminded him._

"_I can't just leave. I have a duty to my kingdom"_

"_We made a pact as brothers." Sky reminded him of the promise they had made to each other at the age of ten._

"_I swore on the Eraklyon seal that I would do everything to protect this kingdom." Brandon countered. "I can't turn my back on my kingdom. Don't make me have to choose." His eyes were pleading._

"_It sounds to me as if you made your decision."Sky said turning his back to Brandon. He began to throw things inside his suitcase._

"_Don't leave. Give us more time. We have to make sure that Eraklyon is safe for the people and then we can go and get Bloom. Riven's starting up a rebellion in Magix maybe after they've had some training…"_

"_Bloom doesn't have that kind of time." Sky said letting his temper get the better of him. "I thought you understood that."_

"_Of course I understand but…"_

"_If it were Stella you wouldn't think twice. You would have gone after her, and I waited long enough. I'm going to get her, with your help or not." Sky said closing his suitcase with a click._

_Brandon didn't know what to was mad that Sky had even brought Stella into this. It had nothing to do with her. Right now it was about stopping Baltor and Eraklyon couldn't do it without their prince. "So you're just going to leave."_

_Sky just nodded his head. "Don't try to stop me."_

A loud knock on the door jolted Sky back to reality. Who could be knocking at the door anyway? No one knew he was here and it would be hard for anyone to recognize him anyway. His golden blond hair was much longer now came to his shoulders, and his normally cleanly shaven face now had a scruffy un-kept beard. Not even his blue eyes could give him away. They were now lifeless and dull. Finding out about Bloom's marriage to Baltor had broken something in him.

Baltor and Bloom's marriage was kept under wraps for awhile. Only until Baltor was ready for the rest of the magical world to know, then the news began to spread like a wild fire. It meant that Baltor was the rightful ruler of Sparks, which was bad news for everyone else. And to Sky getting Bloom back became a lost cause.

He heard the knock at the door again and got up from where he sat. Again he began to wonder who could be at the door and what they could want.

"Open up the door Sky we know you're in there," said a familiar voice.

For a moment he considered walking away and pretending he didn't hear her banging on the door, but it was useless. They knew he was in there.

He pulled open the door to see Stella and Brandon. Stella, who didn't wait to be invited in, immediately stepped over the threshold. Her hazel eyes studied Sky from head to toe and then frowned and said, "You look terrible."

"What are you doing here? How did you even find me?"

"We had Lockette's help." Brandon said as he walked through the door. The pink haired pixie fluttered in behind him. Brandon had always thought Lockette could only find portals and passageways, but apparently Lockette could find people too, but only if they meant a great deal to their bonded fairy. Brandon thought the stop at Pixie Village would be a waste of their time, but Lockette had proved herself useful.

"Baltor and his guard made an attack on Eraklyon." Stella said digging right into the nitty gritty. They didn't have time to waste. "It's been a year. Riven started a rebellion here in Magix. He thinks their ready. Now all we need is you."

"Sounds like you need a hero." Sky said plopping down in the old beat up armchair. "Too bad for you I put down my sword months ago."

"Come on bro," Brandon said throwing his hands up in frustration. "This is Bloom we're talking about."

"Please don't say her name." He tried to think of her as little as possible. It made it easier that way.

Lockette, who had kept as quiet as possible, finally spoke up. "Sky she needs you." The pixie said flying to his side. "And by the looks of it you need her too."

Sky sat there for a moment, letting what Lockette said sink in. Maybe he'd moped around here feeling sorry for himself for much too long. Maybe he needed to pick his sword back up and join the rebellion. He gave Brandon a look before getting up from his seat. "I'll go get my sword."

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you all enjoyed it. Review and let me know what you think.<strong>

**~Aquaria~**


	5. Chapter 5

**So I know its been a terribly long time since my last update. Between school and work this semester has been incredibly busy for me. I was glad I managed to find a little time this weekend to work on this story. Hopefully I'll be able to update again sooner.**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

**~AquariaWinx~**

* * *

><p>Chapter Five<p>

The streets of Andros were no longer safe.

After Baltor's rise to power he knew he needed a guard. A group of men that would travel with him, in case he ever came under attack, these men would defend him and keep him safe. He needed not only the bravest, but master minds; they had to be ruthless, fearless. So he came back to the Omega Dimension and released some of the more high security villains and persuaded him to join his guard. Baltor took about fifty men with him and set the rest free, probably in hopes that they would do away with the people of Andros.

It wasn't safe for anyone out and about after dark and Layla knew that she had to be careful. She wasn't to travel anywhere without her guards, and that was only when her parents allowed her to leave. It wasn't safe for her and as the only heir to the throne of Andros and with her being betrothed to Nabu, her survival was vital. She didn't even want to think about how much trouble she would be in with her parents if they found out about her sneaking out of her room.

But she had to. She'd received a call from Stella. She had told her before that she would be leaving with Brandon to go and find Sky, a mission Layla deemed a waste of time. Sky wasn't exactly her favorite person. He'd bailed on them and on Bloom. In her eyes what he did was unforgivable, and not even him coming back to aid them could change her mind.

But he was back now and Stella had practically talked her ear off telling her how glad she was to have him back on their side, only Layla didn't share the sentiment. Sky was unstable, well at least that was Layla's opinion. He'd be no help to them once they made it on to Sparks. Seeing Bloom in that state would only break him even more. It was funny because when Layla first met Sky she'd had a great deal of respect for him. She saw him as a strong fearless leader and one with impeccable judgment, the day he left all of that changed. She lost all respect for him. A true leader never walks out on his team, and if he really loved Bloom he would've stuck it out for her.

Layla was so wrapped up in her thoughts she wasn't paying as close attention to the streets as she should've been. The man shot out of the dark street corner so fast he was a blur. She was pressed against the cold hard brick wall with the man's hands pressed over her mouth to keep her from screaming out.

"It can't be." The man said bringing a small flashlight up to Layla's face. Since the man brought the light up she was able to see his face. She couldn't say he was easy on the eyes, but she'd definitely seen uglier. He had long, dirty, shaggy un-kept hair and a nasty scar that stretched from the bottom of his left eye down to his chin, and judging by the look in his eye he was deranged.

"Well, well if it isn't Princess Layla," The man grinned showing off a set of nasty rotten teeth. "There are so many possibilities," The man laughed to himself. Layla tried to fight the man off, but there was no getting out of his grips. He was too strong for her.

"Now, now, don't fight." He said removing his hand from her mouth and waving a finger in her face.

"What are you going to do with me?" She asked trying not to sound as scared as she felt.

"I know a man that would pay a pretty penny for the only heir to the throne of Andros." The convict said widening his smile. Her parents would lecture her all the time about why she was supposed to stay with her guards at all times and how she had to follow protocol, but Layla always said she was too fast for them to catch her. She wasn't one of those dainty damsels that waited for some man to come to her rescue, but now here she was in this situation with no one to save her. Had she been paying closer attention she would have been prepared. The convict was well built, but she could have easily taken him out.

Just as she was beginning to feel sorry for herself. She saw the silhouette of another man in the distance. She tried to make out a face, but it was too dark to see. The other man was fast, and pulled the convict off of Layla before he even realized anyone was behind him. Jerking his arm back he plowed his fist in the convict's stomach and watched as he fell to the ground.

Now that she was free Layla was able get close enough to see who her hero was. In the dim light she was able to make out Nabu's profile. Turning her direction his eyes flickered between annoyance and worry. "I told you to wait. I said I'd come to you."

After Layla had gotten off the phone with Stella she sent Nabu a text saying she'd gotten word from Brandon and Stella. He had told her to stay put for the night and that they could talk about everything in the morning, but Layla didn't want to waste any time. Rather than meeting in the morning instead they needed to be heading for Magix to join in with the rebellion. So finally she argued him down and Nabu caved, but he said that he would come to her. It wasn't safe for her to be roaming the streets at night. He hadn't expected her to listen, but after seeing that convict with his filthy hands all over her, he wished she had set aside her stubbornness.

"I told you I didn't need any protection. I would have gotten out of it just fine." Layla said as she wrapped her arms around her body. She was trying not to show it but she was a bit shaken up. She wasn't sure if she would have been able to get away from the convict and she was afraid to even think of what might have happened to her.

Nabu only rolled his eyes. When he first met Layla he thought her stubbornness was cute. He liked that she was independent and didn't mind her feminist attitude, but with Baltor trying to take over the magical realms and with the escaped Omega Dimension convicts running loose through the streets of Andros. She needed to be smart. She couldn't roam the streets by herself and especially not at night. Anything could happen.

"Layla anything could have happened to you." He said his tone dripping with annoyance.

She didn't even argue with him. "I know." She said shifting her eyes to the ground. She didn't even want to think of what could have happened. She was just glad she was okay.

Nabu could see that she was shaken up and there was no point in arguing with her about it. "Are you okay?" He asked, his eyes filling with worry.

"Yeah," She answered.

He knew she was lying. He could tell by the way she had her arms wrapped around her body that she was terrified.

"Come on let's get you back home." Nabu motioned for her to follow behind him.

"I can't believe they were able to convince Sky to rejoin the rebellion." She looked into Nabu's violet colored eyes.

Nabu knew that Layla had lost all respect for Sky the day that he left. She never expected him to return to the group and never imagined it would be as easy for Stella and Brandon to convince him to return as it was. "Sky is a vital part of the group." Nabu reminded her.

"If he was so important then he never should have left."

Nabu understood that back when Sky had left he'd been fighting some demons within himself, and he still was. Having the one you love taken from you the way Bloom was taken from Sky could seriously take a toll on a person. Nabu didn't blame Sky at all. Had he been in the same position he probably would have done the same thing. Nabu sighed to himself before answering Layla. "It's just not the simple."

* * *

><p>Bloom had been given orders directly from Baltor to be in the courtyard at two o'clock sharp. He had some sort of surprise for her and Baltor rarely went out of his way to do anything nice, so Bloom couldn't help but be curious as to what Baltor was up to.<p>

It's probably nothing special, Bloom thought to herself as she rounded the corner and walked through the glass doors out into the courtyard.

"Excited for your surprise?" Bloom turned to see Icy standing amongst the shrubbery. Even still it was strange seeing Icy in a business suit. After Baltor gained power he appointed the Trix as his advisors, not that they did much advising. Bloom figured appointing the Trix as his advisors hadn't been one of Baltor's smarter moves, but she wouldn't tell him that.

Icy was giving her a once over. Icy, Darcy, and Stormy never bothered to at least attempt to hide their jealousy. That amused Bloom. Here they were jealous because she was married to Baltor. She hadn't married him voluntarily and she had no feelings for him, whatsoever. But Bloom wasn't in the mood for any of it today. She simply rolled her eyes and kept walking. She'd go see what this surprise Baltor had for was all about then she'd go lock herself in her room for the rest of the day.

"King Baltor told me to remind you that you are only here to lift the Queens spirits." The servant that had escorted Flora into the courtyard reminded her.

"I understand." The nature fairy said as the servant left her side to return indoors.

Flora felt ridiculous. She felt overdressed and stiff in the high necked blouse she was wearing. Flora had never been one to do a lot of dressing up. She didn't see the point in it when she was always working in her garden. She'd had to wear the blouse to cover the bruises all along her neck. Although they were a week old they had still yet to completely fade and she didn't want to worry Bloom.

She could see her making her way through the courtyard to where she sat. Her long red hair was pinned up so that Flora could fully see her face. She had dark circles under her eyes, like she'd had a sleepless night. She was wearing a simple capped sleeved blue dress that came to her knees, and black ballerina flats, making Flora feel very over-dressed.

"Flora," Bloom's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected for the surprise to be Flora. It was rare that she got to see Flora. She quickened her pace from the slow lazy walk to a run and threw her arms around Flora's neck, noting that Flora shuddered the moment she wrapped her arms around her. "I can't believe this." She said as she pulled away to get a closer look at her friend. "How have you been?" She asked. "Does Cáel treat you well?" Bloom was never alone with her to ask her these questions, either Cáel or Baltor were normally close by keeping close watch over the two of them. She figured he did this for fear they would plot against him.

Flora tried her best to lie. "He treats me very well." She said with a weak not so convincing smile, as she rubbed her tender neck.

"You were never very good at lying." Bloom began to look Flora over from head to toe. "What happened to your face?" She saw that Flora had attempted cover over through bruised eye with makeup, but there was no covering up that bruise. "Did Cáel do this?" Bloom demanded.

Flora's silence was all the answer that Bloom needed. "I'm not sure which one of us has it worse." Bloom said taking a seat on the bench.

"You're married to Baltor." Flora said finally finding her voice. "It can't get any worse than that."

"Flora, he beats you." Bloom said turning to her friend.

"And if I didn't put up with it they'd kill Helia."

"I understand." Bloom said with a nod of her head. She was in the same predicament. She couldn't even think about escaping. If she did Baltor would kill her friends.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you about this." Flora said dropping her voice to a whisper. She quickly scanned the garden for any servants. After seeing there were none she continued speaking in a hushed tone. "Just two days ago Baltor and his guard made an attack on Eraklyon." Judging by the look of shock that spread across Bloom's face she had not heard the news.

"I'm sorry sweetie." Flora laid a comforting hand on Bloom's shoulder. "There are whispers going through the palace." Flora explained. "I heard two servant girls talking about it. They think he's looking for Sky."

"Of course he is." Bloom had known for quite some time that Baltor had been trying to find Sky. "He's been trying for months, but what about Eraklyon? How bad was it?"

"From what I heard there was a lot of damage. I wish I knew more." Flora hated not knowing what was going on with her friends.

"With Timmy, Tecna, and Helia being held prisoner and since no one knows where Sky is, that only leaves Musa, Riven, Layla, and Nabu. I always figured they'd find a way to save all of us some how." Bloom shrugged.

"I guess it's not that simple. Tec and Timmy were like the brains of the operation, and between Sky and Brandon they held it all together. With them out of the equation I guess the formula's off."

"I wasn't sure if I should tell you this Flora, but Baltor wants an heir." Bloom struggled to form the words. "He wants… he wants me to be the one to give him an heir." She felt a tear escape and begin to roll down her cheek.

"Oh sweetie don't cry." Flora said scooting closer to Bloom on the bench and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "How did we end up like this?" Flora found herself asking aloud. Their entire world was dramatically different than it was a year ago.

"I think the question is how are we going to get out of this," Bloom said as she wiped her eyes. Of this one thing she was certain, they could not keep living like this.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Riven rolled over in bed to see Musa wasn't there. Looking over at the clock he saw it was seven in the morning. Musa wasn't exactly a morning person. Normally around this time Musa was curled in a ball on her side of the bed with the covers thrown over her head. Unless she had one of her nightmares, and she'd been having them a lot lately.

He figured she'd probably gone for a walk through the gardens. He knew he shouldn't worry, but after Baltor sent his guard all those months ago, Riven made a point to keep a close eye on Musa. He made sure he knew where she was at all times and she knew he hated when she went on those walks through the garden alone.

Throwing back the covers he quickly got up from the bed. Shooting a glance over at the clock he saw it was seven on the dot. Training started at eight o'clock sharp, which gave him plenty of time to track down Musa. He quickly threw on jogging pants over his shorts and slipped his feet in his running shoes.

Riven had been at Alfea for a year now and he was still adjusting to the place. It was unlike Red Fountain in so many ways. Everything was so feminine and bright, right down to the paint on the walls, but Riven had opted to stay here for Musa's sake. Right now for her, Alfea was home, and for Riven home was where ever she was.

Riven knew she was probably on the quad. That was where her walks normally took her. Mirta was probably with her. The two of them were joined at the hip nowadays. Sure enough the two were together. From where he stood he could see Mirta's bright red hair glowing in the early morning sunlight and Musa's unmistakable pigtails flowing in the gentle breeze. The two of them weren't alone. From the distance he could see five other figures. Four of the five he recognized right off. It looked as though Stella, Brandon, Layla, and Nabu had arrived days earlier than what they were expecting, meaning that the fifth unrecognizable form couldn't be anyone other than Sky.

Riven quickly closed the gap between them to get a closer look. It really was Sky, and the past year had not been kind to him. Outwardly he was the same. He still had the same muscular build achieved from the rigorous Red Fountain training. Only his face was covered in a scruffy beard. But there was the look in his eye. He understood that look all too well. He'd experienced a great loss having Bloom taken from him that way.

"It's been a long time." Riven always wondered what he'd say to Sky when he saw him again; if he ever saw him again. For a while he shared the same sentiment as Layla. He saw Sky's leaving as a sort of betrayal. He'd been angry, even a little hurt. Growing up Riven hadn't had any real friends. After coming to Red Fountain his team had become his closest friends, they were almost like brothers. Sky leaving the way he did felt like a sort of abandonment, something he was all too familiar with. "We've missed you."

At those words Layla scoffed, and tossed her long curly hair over her shoulder. They could all speak for themselves. She hadn't missed him at all.

"Brandon has a lot to tell us about Baltor's _visit _to Eraklyon." Musa thought that would be a better choice of words. She knew from her brief talk with Stella that what happened on Eraklyon was a touchy subject with Brandon.

"Let's get everyone settled in, and then we can talk." Mirta suggested. She was just as eager as the rest to set up a course of action, but she could see her friends were tired. The trip had been a long and rough one, and seeing Sky after all those months had stirred up everyone's emotions. But she had to be positive. They were united again, and they'd defeat Baltor. She'd seen it in the stars. She knew victory was not far off.

…

Clad in a brand new designer suit, and polished designer shoes to match, Baltor stepped through the doors of Sparks prison, his heels clicking against the linoleum.

"Remember you have an appointment with Duke Callaghan at three, and then you have a special dinner planned for you and your wife tonight at six o'clock sharp." Miranda, Baltor's assistant read through the appointment book. It was her job to make sure King Baltor was present and on time to all of his appointments. She had the look of a librarian, or maybe a scholar with her horn rimmed glasses perched on her nose. She was meticulously dressed and well groomed with her long dark hair pulled back into a tight bun. One would never imagine she had once been a convict locked up in the Omega Dimension prison. Miranda was notorious for constructing fool-proof plans. It was these plans that kept the International Magic Council from catching her sooner. It was also why Baltor had recruited her, but because she was so very organized he made it her job to keep track of all of her appointments.

"Yes but first I must sort this issue out with Timmy." Baltor said reaching into the pocket of his suit jacket and pulling out his pocket watch. He had just enough time to straighten out the situation, then he'd be on his way back to the palace for his meeting with Duke Callaghan. "It seems as though Timmy has been giving Cáel some trouble."

"That's nothing I couldn't fix myself." Stormy said curling her hand into a tight fist. Just paces behind Baltor and Miranda were the trix, clad in business suits. They were almost unrecognizable now. Icy and Darcy with their long hair twisted into a French roll and Stormy's hair had been pressed so that it was bone straight giving them a polished look.

"By answering with brute force?" Baltor tapped a finger to his chin as if he were considering it for a moment. "No I don't want to torture the boy. We'll just have a little sit down."

Stormy sighed to herself trying her best to conceal her frustration. She missed being a part of the action. Becoming Baltor's advisors had taken the trix away from the battle lines and placed them in the middle of political affairs, something they'd all discovered they had no interest in. Sitting through all the meetings was a bore, nothing like they'd expected it to be. The most action they'd had was the recent attack on Eraklyon. Baltor had actually allowed them to go along for that particular mission. The Eraklyon guard was well known for their fighting skills. They were a fierce bunch, but with the help of the escaped Omega Dimension convicts and the trix they were able to take them down. It hadn't been easy and the battle had been close, but in the end they'd won and Baltor took all the ancient spells that he wanted.

Miranda and the trix followed Baltor into the prisoner holding area. Seeing Tecna and Timmy locked behind bars gave the trix a feeling of triumph. Their faces were fallen in defeat. The tables had turned. Now they were at their mercy.

At the sight of Baltor, Tecna felt her heart skip a beat. It was rare Baltor ever came to visit them, and Tecna doubted he was there just for conversation.

"Hello there Tecna, Timmy." Baltor greeted the two prisoners.

"Baltor," Timmy stood to his feet, he held out a hand telling Tecna to stay behind him.

"Relax," Baltor said with a chuckle. "I only want to speak to you. Just the two of us, one on one." He said pulling a set of keys from his pocket. He placed the key in the lock twisting it until there was a soft _click_.

"Why don't the four of you stay here and keep Tecna company?" Baltor said after leading Timmy out of the cell. "I hear Helia isn't much fun to have around these days." He cast a look over to the corner where Helia sat. He hadn't even moved upon Baltor's arrival or even looked in their direction. Instead he sat with his head resting on his knees keeping to himself.

Baltor lead Timmy a ways down the hall to a small room. In the center of the room there was a single table and two folding chairs on either side of the table. "Have a seat." Baltor motioned to one of the chairs. Not having much of a choice Timmy followed Baltor's orders and took a seat in one of the folding chairs.

"You've been giving Cáel quite a rough time." Baltor took the seat directly across from him.

"If you came to threaten me…"

Baltor held up a hand to cut him off. "I believe Cáel has made enough threats for the both of us. I'm here to make a deal with you."

At Baltor's statement Timmy frowned. "Then you're wasting your time. I would never make a deal with you."

"Wouldn't you like to leave here?" Baltor knew all too well how uncomfortable it was living in cells. He'd spent a great deal of time trap behind bars.

"I think we both know you'd never allow any of us to leave. As long as you're in power we're stuck here."

The boy was smart. "Yes but your accommodations could be better. I'm sure you wouldn't want to spend the remainder of your life in a cell? Think of Tecna." Baltor pushed. "I'm sure she wants to get out of her as much as you do."

"You leave Tecna out of this." Timmy warned. He wouldn't have her threatened. Not after what Cáel pulled.

"There's a nice estate not too far from the palace. If you finish up this project for me I'll move you and Tecna there." Baltor could never allow them to go back to their friends, Timmy and Tecna knew too much. Besides having the two of them around would be an asset.

"And what about Helia." Timmy couldn't possibly leave his friend locked up in that cell. Helia needed more than anyone to get out of there.

"Now Helia is a completely different matter." Baltor tapped his chin. "I'm sure Cáel and I could work something out."

Timmy was going to hate himself for this later he just knew it. "That's the deal. You get all three of us out of this prison or no deal."

Baltor didn't see there being any easier way to convice Tecna and Timmy to complete the project so he agreed, "Let's shake on it." Baltor offered him his hand.

"I'm holding you to your word." Timmy said before taking his hand. He knew for a fact he was going to regret making this deal with Baltor, but he didn't have much of a choice. He didn't want Tecna to live that way and he couldn't bear to see Helia waste away in that cell. It was a choice he had to make.

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><p>After a good hot shower and a shave Sky was starting to feel like more his old self. He'd been impressed to see how well the training was going. The Riven he'd known when they were at Red Fountain hadn't had much patience, and definitely not enough patience to train anyone, and yet he'd put together a rebellion. It was mainly made up of Red Fountain, Alfea, and even a few Cloud Tower graduates, but there were a few from Magix and neighboring areas.<p>

Riven was training them to be fierce fighters and Sky had to admit he was doing a pretty good job of it. Riven had ended training early that day. They were supposed to be meeting in the library. Probably to discuss what would happen next. He saw he was a little early, but he figured the rest would be on their way soon.

"Hey I didn't realize you were in here." Sky turned to see Mirta standing in the doorway. He could tell she'd not too long ago finished showering. Her hair was still a little wet. "It's good to have you back." She placed a hand on Sky's back.

"How can you welcome me back after the way I left?" Sky turned to face Mirta. "I ran out on all of you." That was something Sky didn't think he'd ever be able to live down. He'd walked out on his friends.

"You were upset." Mirta rubbed his back for comfort. "You needed time. We understand that, trust me we do."

Layla didn't understand that. Sky saw the way she looked at him, with disgust. She had every reason to feel that way. "Well I'm back now and we're getting Bloom back, and Flora, Helia, and Timmy too."

"Of course we are." Mirta smiled to herself. This was the Sky she's missed and remembered.

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><p>It felt as though it had been ages since the last time they gathered together to prepare for a mission. With five of their members missing the dynamics were a bit off, but they wouldn't let that stop them.<p>

They sat at a long table, Ms. Faragonda, Professor Saladin, and Ms. Griffin at the very middle and the rest of them filled in the remaining seats.

"Now that we have Sky back among us we can put this plan into motion." Faragonda said bringing the meeting to order.

"It seems that after Baltor took power he returned Sparks back to its former state. According Lucy Everything appears to be the same. The palace lay out and everything." Mirta began.

"For the past three months Lucy's been in Sparks as a spy for our side." Musa quickly explained seeing the confused look on Sky's face.

"And what did she say about the security?" Saladin asked.

"Baltor has his soldiers all throughout the streets of Sparks keeping an eye on things." Mirta answered. "And the security around Bloom is even tighter. However, it might be easier getting to Flora and Tecna, Timmy, and Helia if he thinks we're trying to break Bloom out of there.

"Sounds like a decent plan." Ms. Griffin tapped a finger to her chin mulling the idea over in her head. "Feign an attack on the palace and break Timmy, Tecna, and Timmy out. Then from there find out where Flora is." Yes, the idea was promising.

"Lucy says Flora's being kept in a nearby estate not too far from the palace."

"And with Cáel being the head of Baltor's guard, if there were to be an attack on the palace Cáel would leave to go defend the palace." Brandon thought aloud.

"Leaving Flora alone at the estate alone," Riven said finishing the thought.

"So far this all sounds good." Faragonda was pleased at how well the meeting was going. She feared having Sky back would throw things off. She could see that Layla wasn't too happy having Sky back, but the rest seemed happy having him back with them. "We need to get moving on this." She stood up from her seat.

"I was thinking we can set the date two nights from now." Riven wanted more than anything to start fixing things. He wanted to end Baltor and the sooner they could get started on it the better.

"So soon?" Sky asked. It seemed as though it was all moving so fast.

"You should be happy," Layla said to him from across the table. "That was what you wanted wasn't it? Action? No one was doing anything. Wasn't that what the big problem was? Wasn't that the reason you left?" She earned a jab in the side from Stella and a glare from Nabu.

"Layla," Nabu said in hopes that she'd rein in her temper.

"No it's okay Nabu," Sky knew she had every reason to be upset. "You're right it is what I wanted." He said meeting Layla's gaze. "So the date's set." Sky said standing to his feet. "Two nights from now we'll move out. We'll need some of your best fighters," He turned to Riven.

"Of course," Riven nodded his head in agreement. They couldn't afford to bring anyone along other than the best.

"We'll get them back." Sky turned to Layla, a fire burning in his eyes. "We'll get them all back and Baltor will pay." And so would anyone that stood in their way, and that was a promise.


	7. Chapter 7

**Now that I've finished up for the semester I can devote a lot more time to my writing and hopefully you all will get more frequent updates. But thanks for all the reviews so far. The major action hasn't started yet but next chapter will be action packed and much longer than this one. I know this is one of my shorter chapters but this seemed like the best stopping point.**

**Well just read and leave me a review once you've got a chance.**

**~Aquaria~**

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><p>Chapter Seven<p>

Being a king was busy work, and trying to take over the universe kept Baltor even busier, but he always made sure he set aside time to spend with his queen. However for whatever reason tonight, Bloom was not cooperating. She sat in the far corner of the room staring out the window. For the past few days, she'd been avoiding all contact with him, coming in to bed as late as possible and speaking as little as possible.

"Is there something wrong dear?" Baltor finally asked, setting the book he'd been reading aside. They'd been alone together for the past hour and she hadn't uttered a word.

"What would make you think that?" She answered, her voice drenched in sarcasm.

"And here I thought bringing Flora by the other day would put you in a better mood." He half mumbled under his breath.

"Did you think I wouldn't find out? Or maybe you hoped I wouldn't." Bloom had moved from her place by the window and was now only standing a few feet from Baltor, her hands fisted on her hips, the look in her eye deadly. If he didn't have her powers bound Baltor figured she might toss a fire ball his direction. Just to be sure he shifted his gaze to her wrist to see that the silver bracelet was still there on her wrist.

"Find out about what?" He asked shifting to a more comfortable position in his seat.

She let out a sound that was a cross between a growl and a sigh. "The attack you made on Eraklyon."

"Oh is that all?" His tone was indifferent, as if he didn't care that that was what had upset her. "You already knew any kingdom that did not pledge their allegiance to me was at risk. They think that by forming this alliance amongst themselves that it will keep them protected. Now they're seeing just how wrong they were."

"Did you find what you were looking for?" He could hear the venom in her voice.

"Excuse me?"

Bloom could hear the bite in his tone, but shrugged it off. For two whole days she'd held all of this in, but now she would have her say. "Well did you find him? You've been looking for him for quite some time now, you thought I didn't know. It's a lot harder than you thought it would be isn't it?" She took a step closer. "You've know clue where he is and are no closer to tracking him down than the rest of them are on Eraklyon."

"You boast for him, and he's yet come to save you." Baltor said coolly. He watched as Bloom's eyes flickered between hurt and anger. "He'll never come for you."

"You don't know him," she held her head high not allowing Baltor's words to affect her.

"If your prince is wise he will not come." Baltor stood to his feet. "If he values his life he'll stay in hiding." And that was a promise.

Having had enough of their _quality _time together, Baltor stood to his feet. "Maybe you need a time to yourself to think. You can reflect on what the qualities of a good faithful wife and queen, and we'll start fresh tomorrow." He said as he loosened his tie. "I'm going to get ready for bed so take as much time as you need, but don't make me have to come and find you." He warned before leaving the room.

Holding her hand to her pounding head Bloom began to pace the room. Sky would come for her she just knew that he would. Leave it to Baltor to poke at the one thing she'd worried over. _What if he never comes for me? _She tried to shake the thoughts out of her head. It was ludicrous. Sky loved her and he would do anything for her. But would he want anything to do with her after this? He may not ever want to touch her again now that Baltor's had her. Would he look at her the same? Could he still possibly have feelings for her after all of this? She decided she wouldn't question Sky's loyalty or his love for her. True love was unconditional and this would definitely be a test of their love.

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><p>The sun was just beginning to set on Alfea and so the grounds were washing in the fading light of the sun. The setting sun burned a bright orange and the skies a rosy pink. The chirping of the birds was beginning to fade as the creatures that lurked in the night were beginning their day.<p>

Many-a-time Sky and Bloom had stretched out on Alfea's lawn and watched the sunset as the moon began to take over the skies. A part of him ached as he remembered how she would rest her head on his chest and they would talk and make plans. There was so much they wanted to do once they graduated. Having grown up on earth, Bloom wanted to travel the dimensions and Sky had promised to go along as her guide. Once they got her back home safe they would do just that.

"Everything's set. We're ready when you are." Riven snapped Sky out of his thoughts. He'd seen the distant look in his eyes and knew he was thinking of Bloom. The poor guy was so broken up about it. Not that he could blame him, had the roles been reversed he wasn't sure what he'd do without Musa.

"You checked the fuel on the ship?" Sky began to mentally go down the checklist. Falling back into his old routine helped calm him and keep focused on the task at hand.

"Ship's fueled, we've got our coordinates, we took inventory on weaponry, we've got ammo, first aid, now we just need you now."

Anxious to get the ordeal over with Sky answered with a, "Let's go."

The girls were gathered by the ship saying their goodbyes to the pixies who'd come to see them off and to the heads of the schools.


End file.
